Parmigiana di Melanzane
Eggplant layered with tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese and baked until golden and bubbling. Parmigiana di Melanzane is the perfect low carb comfort food.
I’ve never made a secret of the fact that I like comfort food. Why wouldn’t you? But I know that most comfort foods aren’t always the healthiest things to eat with all the carbs, cream and cheese they mostly contain. That’s when I remembered my old favorite, Parmigiana di Melanzane or Eggplant Parmesan as it is also known. But where traditional eggplant parm is coated in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried before being layered with tomato sauce, this version is a low carb, gluten free version. I like to grill or pan fry the slices of eggplant until they are golden brown. This also means you don’t have to worry about salting the eggplant and draining in a colander before cooking as the moisture will be removed before assembling the eggplant parmesan.
I decided to add mushrooms to my tomato sauce to add more flavor. The mushrooms also add a meatiness which makes this a delicious vegetarian main dish. The end result was this deliciously cheesy recipe. Perfect as a meatless meal served with crusty bread and a crisp, green salad.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Eggplant/aubergine.
- Mozzarella cheese.
- Parmesan cheese. I prefer using Parmigiana Reggiano but Pecorino Romano can be used instead.
- For the sauce: Red onion, fresh garlic cloves, mushrooms (optional), chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, fresh herbs, salt and pepper. I used fresh thyme, basil and rosemary. Other herbs like oregano and parsley will also work.
How to make Parmigiana di Melanzane
- Slice fresh eggplant into thin slices. Brush with extra virgin olive oil then grill or pan-fry until golden brown on both sides. Season with salt and set aside.
- Make the tomato sauce by softening a chopped onion in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add chopped mushrooms and cook until they start to brown then add garlic and herbs. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to simmer for 10-15 minutes until it’s reduced slightly.
- Layer the cooked eggplant with the sauce, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese in a baking dish. Place the Parmigiana di Melanzane in the oven and allow to bake for 20-25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is golden brown. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes then serve topped with fresh basil leaves.
Can you freeze Eggplant Parmesan?
Cook the eggplant and sauce then layer with the cheese as directed in a foil container. Cover with a layer of parchment paper then wrap well with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. To bake: remove the foil, plastic and parchment paper. Bake from frozen until the sauce is bubbling and the dish is hot throughout. Any leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Serving Suggestions
We love this dish served on its own for a healthy dinner but it also makes a fantastic side dish. We love it with Parmesan-crusted chicken or meatballs. As a main dish, adding a side of crusty bread or a big green salad will turn this into a simple feast.
Eggplant recipes
Ingredients
- 3 large eggplant/aubergine sliced into 1cm slices
- 150 g (2/3 cup) mozzarella
- 100 g (1 cup) Parmesan cheese grated (use a vegetarian alternative if preferred)
for the sauce
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 250 g (¼lb) mushrooms sliced (I used portobellini/cremini mushrooms)
- 800 g (28oz) chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil finely chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil and grill in a hot griddle pan for 1-2 minutes per side. Set aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
- To make the sauce, sauté the onion in a saucepan in a splash of oil until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms and herbs and fry until the mushrooms are golden brown.
- Add the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly.
- To assemble the bake, layer the grilled eggplant with the sauce and cheese in an oven-proof dish, reserving some of the mozzarella for the topping.
- Place the dish in the oven and allow to bake for 15-20 minutes until the sauce is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then serve with salad/bread of your choice.
Nutrition
DO YOU PEEL THE EGG PLANT
No, I don’t bother but you are welcome to if you don’t like the texture.
I love this recipe – I had some aubergine and mushrooms so looked for a recipe and found this. I adore aubergine parmigiana so bought a tin of tomatoes and some mozzarella. I baked the aubergine slices on a baking sheet with a bit of oil for 20 mins while the sauce was cooking. I pan fried mushroom slices with a bit of garlic and layered them with the aubergine. Utterly delicious. Thank you!
This is the version I cook. I often use fresh cherry tomatoes or baby plum tomatoes rather than tinned, so no added sugar there!
I always add a good splash of dry vermouth to the sauce and only put oregano and basil in.
I don’t add mushrooms though, these would add an earthy taste which would detract from the natural sweetness of the tomatoes.
The mushrooms compliment the dish with umami richness but can absolutely be left out if preferred.
Made this version several times. Delicious
So happy to hear that. 🙂
This looks amazing but tinned tomatoes can be high in sugar (and therefore carbs). Did you used reduced sugar tinned tomatoes to keep the carb count low? The nutritional info for this recipe would be really helpful!
The tomatoes I use don’t have any added sugar. It’s always important to read the labels of the foods you buy if you are following a specific lifestyle/diet.
I am not a vegetarian, nor to I gravitate towards particularly healthy recipes. This recipe caught my eye because of the cheesy mound on top in the photos. Winter is beginning and I was looking for warming comfort food and it did not disappoint.
I cheated a little and used dried Thyme, canned cherry tomatoes and just a bag of “pizza cheese” (mixed mozzarella, colby and parmesan) but goddamn it was good. And so quick! I will be making this a lot more. Any ideas on variations?
So glad you liked this. 🙂 Love the bag of cheese idea, you’re my kinda person! You could try other vegetables like zucchini? And mix it up with other kinds of cheese perhaps? You could always layer some bolognese with the aubergine/eggplant if you’re not too worried about keeping it vegetarian.
Lovely – I did change the ratio (serving for 2: 3 aubergine, 400g mushroom, 1 can tom, 100g cherry tom) To reduce the fat I used a combination of cottage cheese and a little grated cheese. Super tasty! Will make it again.
Was really delicious, I served mine with veg and crusty bread. My husband loved it. Would like to know what the calorie count is? Will definitely cook it again
This is a fabulous dish but I wish there was a carb count on it
This recipe is just lovely! I added some pine-nuts and served with a simple cos lettuce salad and fresh bread. And then poof! Gone! (just like that)
Yum! So happy to hear that you loved it.
I like the recipe. How long can I store it in the fridge/freezer ?
I’m looking for a good healthy comfort food and I think I found one.
I’ve never frozen this but I suppose you could freeze it unbaked up to 1 month. In the fridge this should last up to 5 days.
This sounds delicious, but what kind of mozzarella do I need? Is it a ball, or the firm kind that’s in a block and can be grated?
You could use either. I used the firmer kind but fresh mozzarella would be just as good.
Made this last night, it came out fantastic! I used nice italian buffalo mozzarella and parmesan cheese and it came out really really good. My only critique would be that cutting eggplant in 1cm slices is a bit on the thick size, 0.5 cm would probably be better. Overall, a great recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it. You can definitely slice the eggplant into thinner rounds, I just like the chunkiness of them at 1cm. 🙂
Quick question, is it 2 400g cans chopped tomatoes AND 500g cherry tomatoes, or is it one or the other?
No, one or the other. 🙂
Going to make this for the second time. Really really yummy recipe which both my husband and I thought was a wonderful mix of flavours and textures.
Oh it is just delicious,
made a small amount yesterday,
Today am making it again
l hope to freeze some.
Don’t know if it will work or not,
But here goes.
I think this is the best recipe. My family adored this. And it was delicious. Thanks for sharing such a nice recipe. I featured your recipe on my blog, so you can check it. It’s in Turkish but I put a link.
Have nice day!
http://niluferustuner.blogspot.com.tr/2015/09/patlcan-musakkann-yerine-alternatif.html
More than 5 star!!!!!
I love eggplant parm, and this looks like a simple but delicious recipe! One thing, I’ve always sprinkled the raw slices with salt and put them in a colander to drain the excess liquid, making for a firmer texture. Is that not necessary in this recipe?
I never do this as I find it an unnecessary step. If you prefer to do it though, simply do it before you fry the slices.
I am really not a fan of aubergine. However, since I am always looking for good vegetarian “banting” friendly meals – I am going to have to give this one a try for lunch! Awesome as always! xx